Danced with Cinderella
by LetsSingtheDoomSong
Summary: Zack never wanted her to leave. She was his princess, his daughter. But he knew when the clock struck midnight, she'd be gone. Mention Zack/OC


Dymond: I actually wasn't going to post this, but then I realized I hadn't done anything for Final Fantasy VII in a while nor have I bothered my favorite twins in a while & Zack Fair. Well that'll change. Here's just a cute thing I whipped up while listening to the song Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman. Don't normally like those kinds of songs, but hey, I thought it was cute.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(The squiggles like the cuteness)

I rubbed my forehead trying to relieve the headache starting to form from the long hours of sorting through the bills & financial statements of my small delivery business I ran with Cloud Strife. I set down my pen & rubbed my eyes, listening to the music that played in the background that my wife, Dymond Fair, would listen to when she worked. I could hear my children giggling over something which made me smile.

My kids were my whole world since the day they were born. Sure, when they were born, Dymond broke my hand from the pain, but it was worth it. I got to cut the umbilical cord of both of the twins & was the second to hold them, right after the woman who claimed my heart.

I stood up & walked to the doorway to the office, leaning against the frame. I noticed right away that my daughter was in her Cinderella dress spinning & swaying in the middle of the living room to the classical music my wife played (her guilty pleasure); giggling as her brother made a face & retreated back to his room to play video games.

She spun one last time before her eyes set on me. "Daddy! Daddy!" She exclaimed rushing up to me. She tugged on my sleeve. "Daddy, I need you!" She continued. "There's a ball at the castle & I've been invited! I need to practice my dancing!" I sighed in contemplation: it had been a long day & there was still work to do, but she tugged on my sleeve harder & begged, "Oh, please, daddy, please!"

And so I danced with my little Cinderella, holding her tightly against my chest in my arms since I had to pick her up to dance with her. She rested her head against my shoulder & smiled. "I love you, daddy," She whispered, kissing my cheek.

I smiled, "I love you too, princess."

I thought of the 'prince' she was excited about going to see in her make-believe story, but I knew that one day I'd lose her to that 'prince'. And like in the story of Cinderella where the clock would strike twelve & Cinderella would disappear, I knew my little girl would leave us to begin her own happily-ever-after.

We danced well into the next song, unable to bring myself to put her down.

She was only 6 years old.

Time seemed to fly by & suddenly, my little girl had turned 16 & was excited about going to the prom. A boy from school had asked her & she reassured me that he was a nice guy & I would be impressed by him. Likely story, but never had I been dress shopping before, not even with Dymond (not that she'd ever wear a dress. Our wedding? Yeah, she wore jeans underneath her dress & immediately took it off the moment we got to the reception). I would have gone tux shopping with Angeal, but Dymond had already called dibs on it & was out the door before I could object.

She tried on a few that she quickly deemed unwearable to her standings. She narrowed it down to a pretty blue one & a beautiful purple one that she had been staring at for about 20 minutes, scrutinizing both. "Daddy, which one do you think I should wear?" She asked anxiously, wringing her hands together. "The prom is only one week away! I need to find a dress quick!"

I let out an exasperated breath before standing up & examining both dresses that laid out before us. Both would have looked beautiful on her, but knowing her, she'd put up a fight about it. That was until I glanced away from them to a light blue colored dress that looked oddly familiar.

I wandered over & held it out to view it better. I smiled, realizing that it was the exact same dress that Dymond had worn the first dance we went to together when we were still in SOLDIER, working our asses off to protect anyone we could. Dani had made her get it & put it on, but all I could think of was how stunning she looked in it. Afterward she had worn black dresses, but I couldn't complain. "What about this one?" I asked holding it out for Angel.

She took it & smiled. "Yeah... This one's perfect!" She exclaimed holding it against her to view how it looked on her body.

I got suckered into being one of the chaperones for the prom, meaning I had to wear a tuxedo there.

I sat at my desk, once again managing the files of the numerous clients I had for deliveries. I only stopped when I heard a small knock on the door. I turned & smiled at the sight of my little Angel, dressed in the gown that I had bought for her. She gave a small twirl before looking down at herself. "What do you think?" She asked with a lopsided grin.

I nodded & said, "You look beautiful, sweetie."

"The prom is a week away & I need to practice dancing," She said, a smile still gracing her features that reminded me so much of her mother. "Please, daddy, please?" My wife's music was already playing as I stood up & took my daughter into my arms, starting to slow dance with her.

She rested her cheek against my chest, listening contently to my heartbeat as we swayed & spun to the song. My little princess had grown up so fast in the years, which made me realize just how old I was getting & how much in love I still was with Dymond having been married now for 16 years.

The night of the prom her date arrived (Rufus Shinra's boy, not surprisingly) & she hugged my arm as pre-prom jitters set in. Angeal had already left with Dymond's truck to go & get his date, leaving me & Angel mostly alone, aside from Dymond camera hunting.

I drove the two to the school where I could hear the music pounding out into the street. Isaac got out first & opened the door for my little princess & headed in.

I parked the car & made my way inside, taking my position in the corner of the dance floor. A slow song came on & I watched as Angel was drawn in close by Isaac, her chin resting on his shoulder. I smiled at the sight; smiling because my daughter was happy despite the life we lived, despite what she knew her parents had done. What her grandfather had done.

All I could think of was the little girl in pigtails wearing her favorite Cinderella dress, dancing to whatever music the love of my life turned on. Seemed only like yesterday she asked me to dance with her.

I was shaken out of my thoughts by Angel calling, "Daddy!"

She ran up to me with a big grin on her face. "Dance with me!"

It was another slow dance, but this time she wasn't going to dance with Isaac. She held out her hands for me & immediately I took them. I allowed her to pull me to the dance floor. I put my hand on her waist & took her hand in mine while she placed her free hand on my shoulder. "I need to practice dancing," She said, her eyes never leaving my own. They were blue, just like her mother's while Angeal's turned out like my old eyes before the Mako turned them blue: Brown.

So I danced with my little Cinderella, my eyes occasionally falling on her date before spinning her away from him. It wasn't that I didn't like him, it was I didn't want to lose my daughter to him when the night was over. She clearly noticed my action, but ignored it, instead pulling her hand out of my own & hugged my neck, closing her eyes.

"I love you, daddy," She whispered snuggling into my arms.

I smiled & said, "I love you too, princess."

And before I knew it, the prom was over & she & Angeal had turned 19 & were getting ready to leave for college. They both had been accepted to the same college elsewhere, outside of Midgar meaning I was going to lose both of my kids by the end of the day.

Angeal had already come by my office & bid his goodbyes, giving his dad the biggest hug I had ever received that didn't involve me in the hospital with some injury or another. Angel eventually wandered her way inside, her eyes already red from crying in her state of fear. "Daddy?" She choked falling into my embrace. I smoothed her hair down the back of her head since she had cut it short with a scissors defiantly in the 10th grade.

It wasn't in defiance to her parents since Dy had her hair chopped short always; it was to show up a bunch of girls bullying a girl with glasses & short hair. Angel had kept her hair because of those girls, but seeing the girl get tormented & called a fag, she took a scissors & chopped off her own hair. She's kept it like that every since.

We rocked slowly, my nose buried in her hair trying to hold back my tears. And then she was gone. I saw her every holiday & whenever she had off, but it was rough not being able to see her & Angeal every day like I had for 19 years. Then she went overseas for a job offer.

It wouldn't be for two years that I see her again, age 26. She came home & this time, she had a ring on her finger. She glowed & told us all about the plans they were making so that the wedding would be perfect & Dymond gushed at the announcement of her engagement. She looked to me & smiled. "Daddy, the wedding is six months away & I need to practice my dancing."

We danced in the middle of the living room, swaying & spinning to the music. I almost couldn't let her go, even after the song ended. For a while, it felt like if I let her go, the clock would strike midnight & my little princess would be gone right from my arms.

6 months shot by & I escorted her down the isle where she became Mrs. Isaac Shinra, but no matter what her name had become: she was still my little princess. The reception went well & finally the moment came for the father-daughter dance that weddings normally called for.

And I danced with my Cinderella, scared to release her since I knew that the clock would strike midnight & my little girl would be gone; off to start her own family. "Daddy?" She looked up at me & noticed I was crying.

I smiled & kissed her forehead. "Daddy, don't cry. You're gonna make me cry & mess up my makeup!" She choked back a sob before she rested her cheek against my chest.

"I'm sorry, princess. You've just grown up so fast. I still imagine you in your little Cinderella costume, dancing the night away, dragging either me or your brother in to dance with you. Now your prince is here to take you away."

"Oh daddy..." She snuggled against me, holding tighter to my tux jacket. "The prince may be here to take me away, but there is one thing that the prince doesn't know..." I spread away from her to look her in the eye. "That this princess will always come back for her daddy." I kissed her forehead & drew her tighter again.

The clock struck midnight


End file.
